The Northwestern University Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The 2025 Northwestern Wildcats football team will compete in its 136th season of college football and will play its home games at Ryan Field on the university’s Evanston, Illinois campus.
The Wildcats will open the 2025 season on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers on August 30. The following week, the Wildcats will play their home opener against the Indiana Hoosiers on September 6. Northwestern will then travel to face the Duke Blue Devils on September 13 and the Maryland Terrapins on September 20. The Wildcats will have a bye week on September 27 before hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers on October 4. Northwestern will then travel to face the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 11 and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 18. The Wildcats will host the Wisconsin Badgers on October 25 before traveling to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on November 1. Northwestern will then host the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 8 before traveling to face the Michigan Wolverines on November 15. The Wildcats will close out the regular season by hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 22.
